Exactly what it sounds like, a spitball is a pitch that requires the ball to be doctored with saliva or mucus. It’s tough to hit because the ball is no longer perfectly spherical, making the wind resistance greater on one area of its surface. No one threw this now-illegal pitch better than Gaylord Perry, who named his autobiography Me and the Spitter
. A five-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner in both leagues, Perry used the not-so-secret weapon en route to fanning 3,534 batters and wining more than 300 games. The right-hander was so dedicated to throwing this slippery ball that he often sniffed hot peppers before his starts to ensure his nose would run.